Regrets And A Ring
by sooyoungfangirl
Summary: Coulson hears a conversation between May, Skye and Simmons, which leads him to think about his past with someone. Philinda.
1. Chapter 1

**Yeah, an idea that popped into my head. Looks like this would become a multi-chapter fic, but we'll see. Philinda/Mayson/Coulvary. Months into this and I'm still not sure what's their official ship name is. Suggestions are welcome as to how you want this story to continue. So, Review ;)**

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**May's POV**

"Miles is probably the guy I was with the longest, how about you Simmons?" Skye asked Jemma while she was still performing a mandatory physical exam on May.

"Everything seems to be in order May. I'll just need a blood sample." Simmons said to the agent without giving a sign that she heard Skye, and May just nodded.

"Well, I've never really been in a serious relationship before." Said Simmons as she was getting the syringe.

"What! What do you mean you've never had a serious relationship? Oh did you just go out with a guy once, then sleep with them?" Skye said amusingly. May can't help but smile a bit at the question, which made Simmons blush furiously.

"No! No! Why would you even think that Skye? No, when I go out, I don't feel, you know..." Simmons gestured animatedly and dabbed May's skin with alcohol.

"What? A spark? Is that what you're saying?" Skye asked.

"Well, technically there is no such thing. But you know, the first time I go out with any man, either I don't like him, or he doesn't." Simmons already started collecting a blood sample from May, and the agent didn't even flinch.

"Oh, alright. What about you May?" Skye looked at May, and May just stared at her. Well, more like glared.

"What about me, Skye?" May asked calmly.

"You know, have you ever been with someone you thought was 'the one'?" Skye thought it was an innocent question, and she was just curious about May's answer.

"Of course." At that moment, Simmons took out the needle and covered it up.

"What happened?" Simmons asked May.

"He died." May went out of the lab, leaving Skye and Simmons thinking about what she said. May went straight to the cockpit, seeing that she revealed too much of her life to the girls. Unknowingly someone was watching their whole exchange down at the lab, and he felt heartbroken all over again.

May thought she shouldn't have answered Skye at all, but the words just rolled of her tongue. The memories were starting to overwhelm her again. After Bahrain, he was the first to reach out to her. She shut him out at first, but his constant presence finally worked and she started opening up to him. Their talks, and dinners when they could get together became something else, and before the both of them realized. They fell in love. Their relationship turned into a romantic one. She didn't think it would last because of S.H.I.E.L.D, but it did. Until he got stabbed in the heart.

"Melinda." She didn't have to turn around to find out who it was, and breathed deeply to try to calm herself down. Then she turned to him and said in the most detached voice she could muster.

"Coulson."

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**Coulson's POV**

Coulson was just checking on the team, seeing that they all had their physical exams today. Well, except for him though, since he had one 3 months early. He was just amused at Skye's question at Simmons, but he didn't expect for Skye to actually ask May. And when he heard her answer, the pain was still there. He knows that he caused a lot of that.

He couldn't help but look at the velvet box hidden in his office drawer, and he opened it. He had so many plans for them. He already thought of how he was going to ask her, where he was going to do it, but now, he just thinks her putting it on is just a dream. So he put it back in his drawer, and can't help but think about their time together.

The nights curled up in bed together. Breakfast in the mornings in the couch, with her reading the newspaper over his shoulder, and the smiles that she gave. It was all just a memory now. Getting stabbed through the heart by Loki wasn't his fault, but he still blames himself for not telling her he was alive. He knows she spent months thinking he was gone, and he never gave her a sign to think otherwise until he recruited her on the team. That's probably why he had to watch May tell Simmons and Skye that the man she loved died.

It still breaks his heart though. Maybe that's why he went to the cockpit to see her, talk to her maybe.

"Melinda." He said it quietly, and he noticed that she was a bit tense at his presence and when she looked at him, it was like she had forgotten what she said in the lab minutes ago.

"Coulson."

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**What did you guys think? Should I continue? :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**I seriously forgot to put a disclaimer on this fic. I don't own any of the characters. So here is Chapter 2. I think I could write a few more chapters if you guys want, because I'm already developing a story line, but this could be the last part too. So reviews are encouraged :D **

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She was sure he heard her. Otherwise he wouldn't be standing in front of her, wearing that pained expression that she hates seeing.

"Do we have a mission?" She asked, giving him a chance to not continue with what he was planning to do.

"No." He knew exactly what she was doing, but he made up his mind. He was going to do this now.

"Melinda…" He said her name quietly trying to get her to open up to him.

"No, Coulson." She turned her back on him, and started pressing some buttons on the flight controls.

"We can't avoid talking about this forever." He said pleadingly.

"Yes we can. Because as far as I am concerned. I told Skye and Simmons the truth down at the lab. The man I loved died on that helicarrier before the Battle of New York. He got stabbed through the heart by an Asgardian because he was stupid enough to face the guy with an experimental weapon." May said calmly.

Coulson felt the pain course through him again. Not the pain of the staff through his heart, but the pain hidden beneath May's words. "You weren't Level 7 at the time Melinda. I wanted to tell you so badly, or give you a sign."

"But you didn't." May's words were laced with emotions now. "I opened up to you Phil. After Bahrain, I didn't think I would be able to do that again. But with you, I thought…Maybe I was wrong."

"Mel…"

"When Hill told me you were dead, I didn't want to believe it. I just wanted it to be some ploy Fury thought off to get the Avengers to work together." She laughed at the memory, but it turned grim immediately.

"But after months of you gone, and mornings alone, I finally believed them Phil." She finally looked at him, with tears in her eyes, and Coulson's. "But then you recruit me for this team, and show up out of the blue with that freaking story about Tahiti. Showed up at the Level 3 offices to ask me to drive the bus, you didn't know how much I hated you Coulson."

"May, I didn't have a choice…" He tried to make her understand.

"I hated you!" Those words stung Coulson. "For days I cried myself to sleep thinking I lost the man that I loved. I hated you because I still laugh when you make jokes. I still smile when I see you do the same. And every time, I get reminded of the fact that you let me care about you, and I was stupid enough to believe you felt the same." A teardrop fell from May's eye, and Coulson came forward and was about to wipe it away but she just shook her head.

Coulson sat on the co-pilot's seat and started talking. "I did care about you Melinda. I still do. I tried to tell you, please believe me I did. I tried to convince Director Fury to tell you, but he refused. Those months in Tahiti weren't paradise, because I kept thinking of you. So when I got back, I found a way to tell you, without raising alarms with Hill and Fury. That's part of the reason I wanted you on this bus." He looked at her, but she was looking down.

"I still love you, you know." Her eyes widened at that part, but closed them again. "And when I saw you again, in that office. I kept thinking about the time I wasted waiting." His hands jerked at his coat pocket, where he kept the ring.

"What are you talking about Coulson?" She asked curiously. Coulson got the ring from his jacket pocket and showed it to her, and she looked at him with eyes widened in shock.

"This." He looked at the ring sadly.

"I was waiting for the right time. I was going to ask you the night Loki appeared on Earth again, it looks like I waited too long. Because when he stabbed me, I just didn't lose 8 or 40 seconds of my life. I lost the one thing I cared about." And Coulson held on to May's hand.

"But now I want to try to again, with you Melinda. If you let me." He said quietly.

"I don't know if I can go through something like that again, Coulson." May said sadly.

"You won't have to Mel." He reassured her.

"You don't know that Phil. You were…" She was cut off when he suddenly kissed her, and she can't help but kiss him back, but they both pulled away immediately.

"You're right, I can never be sure. But I know one thing, I love you. And I would like to think that's enough for now, because I don't ever want to lose you again Melinda." He said as he was cupping the side of her face, then kissed her forehead.

"Alright, Phil." May said to him and she couldn't help but smile at him given the one he has on his face.

"Uhmm, Coulson. There's a message from HQ that both of should see." Ward said as he walked in the cockpit and he didn't even notice that a moment ago, the two agents were an emotional train wreck.

"Alright Ward, Let's go Agent May. We should continue our talk another time." He smiled at her in the most subtle way he could.

"Of course Agent Coulson." And May can't help but smile back.

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**Review okay :) The future of this fic. depends on it hahaha **


	3. Chapter 3

**I am so sorry it took me so long to update. I'm still finishing schoolwork I held off during the vacation. Hehe. So this is chapter 3 hope you enjoy reading it. Characters still aren't mine. Most probably there will be another chapter after this. So review, okay :D **

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Coulson and May read the message on the tablet, and they both looked at each other worriedly. Coulson gathered everyone in the briefing room. The look on Coulson, May and Ward's faces weren't missed.

"What's going on sir?" asked Simmons.

"A few minutes ago SHIELD headquarters sent us a message. An agent was captured by a man named 'Eric James'. Ward had a run in with him a few years back. It seems he was broken out of prison a few months ago, and he has hidden out ever since. He's incredibly well-funded, connected to the black markets and well-protected. The information from The Hub states that they are held under his mansion in California. Our assignment is to go in and get the agent out."

"Why would this guy take him? I mean, what's in it for him?" Skye asked.

"The agent he took was responsible for his imprisonment for the last 3 years in a dark hole somewhere in Russia, it looks like a case of simple revenge." Ward stated almost a little too casually.

"How are we going to infiltrate the base sir? If he is as well-protected as you said, we'd need back-up." May said in a still calm voice.

"Apparently, he is holding a gala tonight. We can go in and rescue the agent." Coulson said.

"Don't you need an invitation for those things? And whose going undercover?" asked Fitz with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"The invitation has already been secured by HQ, and as for those going in, me and Agent May are." Coulson answered them right away. Gaining a glare from May, but it immediately turned back to her normal, emotionless, stare.

"Sir? I can go in on my own…" Ward started his usual speech.

"I'm sorry Agent Ward, but we can't risk him remembering you. So you and the rest of the team will have to stay in the bus and oversee the op." Coulson said calmly. Ward looked a bit pissed. But Fitzsimmons and Skye were overjoyed since they won't have to go out on the field.

"I'll start making the necessary information for yours and May's covers, if his men decide to run checks, A.C." Skye said happily. "Oh, important question. What's your cover going to be anyway?" She asked Coulson curiously.

"Apparently, it says on the invite, that I and May are going to have to go as a married couple who are the owners of several medical facilities in the country." Coulson tried hard not to emphasize on the word 'married'. And May can't help but roll her eyes at their new covers.

"Ooh, big leagues. It should be ready in a couple of hours." Skye said before leaving the room.

"I and Fitz will make the necessary arrangement for the equipment you guys might need." Fitz followed Simmons back to the lab. And Ward followed suit heading for his bunk.

"I'll start setting the course for California. We should be there in at least 4 hours." May said casually.

"You know, I wasn't the one who prepared our covers, HQ did. So I had no idea that's what they were going with." Coulson said with a bit of worry in his voice, since their current relationship is a bit rocky at the moment.

"I know, but you can at least act like you're not so psyched about it Coulson." May said teasingly.

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**After 3 hours**

"Alright, these are a few gadgets we started developing a while ago, I think you find them very useful in this mission." Fitz started.

"This watch, turn this switch in the side, emergency beacon. Same one, hidden in this bracelet, turn the right jewels, and we're in business. You know if you're captured." Then May and Coulson looked at him. "Not that I'm implying you'll be captured or anything…Simmons." Fitz said quickly.

"Fitz also redesigned the glasses we made for Ward before, so it's capable of back-scatter. We'll be in communication with you the entire time, and guiding you as to where the captured agent is." Simmons said enthusiastically.

"Who's the captured agent anyway?" Skye asked out of curiosity.

"No idea, HQ didn't give us that info. All they said was to rescue the guy." Ward said worriedly.

"Alright we'll be landing in less than an hour, let's get ready." Coulson said immediately.

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After a few moments, Coulson came down from his office, wearing a blue and gray suit, with Fitz's watch and the glasses.

"Wow, A.C. you clean up nicely." Skye said to him. "May is one lucky…" Skye didn't get to finish her sentence when May stepped out of her bunk, wearing a black, strapless, knee-length dress, that complimented her body, and she was just pulling on a black leather jacket that looked off-shoulder. She was also wearing the tracking bracelet Simmons gave. And everybody in the team looked shocked at what they were seeing, mostly Coulson though since he thought he would never see her in a dress again.

"What?" May looked at her teammates, wondering why they were looking at her differently.

"I stand corrected, wow, May." Skye said amusingly, but May just looked like she always did.

Coulson cleared his throat, and stepped towards May. And presented her with a velvet box. May glared at him for a minute. But Coulson immediately opened the box and it showed two silver wedding rings.

"Well, can't do our cover without these."

Coulson took out the smaller ring and put it on May's finger, and May do the same for him. And held each other's hand a little too long. And the team just looked awkwardly among themselves, thinking they intruded on a private moment between the senior agents. It took all of Coulson's will power too not pull her close, and May not to smile at him. But May finally got to her senses, and let go of Coulson's hand. And headed down to the cargo bay. They took a limo to the mansion where the event will be held, and they finally arrived, at a house overlooking a vineyard. Coulson opened the door for May and held out his hand, which she happily took, and they could hear Skye over their comm.

"Alright guys, let's get this show started." Skye said a little too enthusiastically. "Try to pretend you love each other." She said teasingly.

And as Coulson held May's and her smiling at him, all he thought was, 'I wish what I'm feeling now isn't real, this would make this so much easier'. And he smiled back.

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**What did you guys think? Who do you want the mystery agent to be? :3 Reviews, constructive criticism, and suggestions are always welcome. Okay :)**


	4. Extra Scene

**EXTRA SCENE, after Coulson and May left for the mission.**

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"Woah." Fitz broke the silence when Coulson and May left. The memory of their little ring exchange still fresh in all their minds.

"Yeah, woah." Simmons said as they gathered around the briefing room.

"Did anybody else just feel how awkward that was?" Skye said suddenly.

"Are you kidding? It was so sweet. And they weren't even undercover yet." Simmons said.

"She's right. And I have never seen Coulson that nervous before." Fitz agreed immediately.

"You know what I think? I think they like each other." Skye said.

"What?" Ward looked at her questioningly.

"You're kidding right?" Simmons said. "You do remember our little conversation with May before right?"

"Of course, I do. But you know, maybe Coulson's the next Mr. Right for May." Skye said enthusiastically.

"And how could I joke about something like A.C. and May's feelings?"

"20 bucks says you're wrong." Ward said suddenly.

"Oh, dear." Simmons whispered.

"Nothing good, ever comes out, when they make bets like this. Last time it ended up with chocolate pudding all over me." Fitz said alarmingly.

"Deal." Skye said confidently. "I look forward into proving you wrong Ward." She smiled menacingly.

"You can try rookie." Ward said back.

Then Skye turned on the comm. system. "Alright guys, let's get this show started. Try to pretend you love each other." Skye turned to Ward, with a look that said. 'It's on.'

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**Hope you like it :) It's a little treat since I updated late.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Hey there, here is Chapter 4. I still don't own the characters. I hope you like the story line so far. Review, okay. :)**

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**CHAPTER 4**

May and Coulson entered the house, and presented their invitation. Skye was right, they were already doing security checks on the two, but fortunately they came back clean.

"Welcome Mr. and Mrs. Coulson. I hope you enjoy the party." Said the one doing the security checks. Coulson smiled when he heard the 'Mrs. Coulson' part and he looked at May, who was also smiling at him. But unfortunately for Phil, he can't tell if it was an actual smile or just good acting on her part.

"Hold May's hand A.C." Skye said over the comm., determined to win the bet. And get Coulson and May to fess up about what type of relationship they have with each other.

"I already am, Skye. Have you guys located the agent?" Coulson asked quietly.

"Not yet sir, he sent that emergency beacon to HQ, exactly where you're standing. That's where the signal was cut off anyway." Simmons said.

"Obviously, he isn't here. But he could be underground. Beacons always lose their signals if it goes too far down." May suggested.

"A.C, you should know that I was able to hack the security cameras in the mansion, so we would be able to see and hear you." Skye said happily and looking at Ward smugly. But Ward just looked at her seriously.

"That's good Skye…"Coulson was cut off, when he noticed Eric James coming their way. And May saw him too.

"Hello, you must be Eric James." May extended her hand.

"Yes, I am." Eric kissed the back of her hand. Which made Phil a bit green-eyed. "You must be Phil and Melinda Coulson. The successful, hospital owners. I hope you enjoy yourselves tonight."

"Of course, thank you for sending the invitation. But out of curiosity. What are we celebrating tonight?" May asked with subtlety.

"Life. Freedom. That itself should be worth celebrating." He glanced at May and Coulson. And May immediately squeezed Coulson's hand tighter and looked at him lovingly. And Coulson kissed her cheek in return.

Making Skye squeal with happiness back on the bus, and Fitzsimmons smile at the two. But Ward was convinced they were just acting.

"You're right about that Mr. James." Coulson smiled at the man. "I also hope you enjoy your night."

"Oh, please call me Eric. Don't worry I will definitely enjoy this party. After the party should be interesting too." He rambled.

"I'm sorry?" May asked, trying to get him to give up more information without raising any alarms with him.

"Oh, nothing. You should join the others in the dance floor." He gestured towards the center of the room.

"Would you like to dance Mel?" Coulson, a gentleman that he is, asked May for permission first, and May secretly still liked that side of him.

"Of course sweetheart." She took his hand, as he guided her to the middle of the room. May put her hands behind Coulson's neck, while Coulson put his hands on her waist, and they began swaying to the music.

Skye secretly recorded the moment, seeing that it really was a beautiful one. And to prove Ward wrong.

"They look great together." Skye commented. And Fitzsimmons nodded their heads in agreement.

"They should, they are undercover as a married couple, Skye." Ward was still unconvinced.

"Lighten up Ward, it was just an observation." But Skye was secretly jumping up and down in her head.

"You know, we could hear you guys right?" May said suddenly. As she smiled at Coulson. But to her surprise he looked down, and kept quiet. So she went back to her professional side.

"Skye, have you found routes underground?" May suddenly asked.

"Oh, yeah, I found a small room below but it should be big enough to fit a prisoner. There should be a staircase on your left, near the bathroom. It should lead you, whatever there is down there, if this blueprints right."

May nodded at Coulson and lead him off the middle of the room, and went straight to the left side of the building. She leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear.

"I'll head down, he'll start to notice if both of us aren't hear. I have the beacon if I get into trouble." She kissed his cheek, smiled at him and headed off. Eric picked the moment to go talk to Coulson.

"Where's the missus headed off too?" He smiled at Coulson.

"Looking for the bathroom, you know women, always trying to look their best at these types of things." Coulson said casually.

That earned a snort from Skye. And her teammates looked at her. "I'm sorry, just imagining May doing that is hilarious."

"I can still hear you Skye." May said quietly as she headed down the steps.

"Oh God. I'm sorry May." Skye immediately said and unconsciously covered her mouth with her hand.

On Coulson's side, Eric seemed like he wasn't leaving anytime soon.

"How did you meet your wife Mr. Coulson?" Eric asked curiously.

"Please, call me Phil. It's your typical story really." Coulson said, trying to get him to go to the other guests.

"Oh, please, do tell." Eric insisted.

"Well, I met her when we were both still young. The first time I saw her, I knew she was the one. But, I wanted to get to know her better first before I did anything. We became close friends, and after a while everything was good. But a horrible thing happened, and she pushed everyone in her life away. I stayed. I tried to be there for her, even if she didn't want me too. And our friendship turned into something else, and I was finally brave enough to ask her if she wanted to be with me. And thankfully she said yes, and here we are now." Coulson said, desperately trying to hide the sadness in his voice with a small smile.

Eric seemed satisfied. "Thank you for sharing that with me. I hope you have a nice time with your wife tonight." And he walked away.

Ward walked towards Skye and gave her twenty bucks. And proceeded overseeing the op. Skye was still too shell-shocked to talk. Fitzsimmons' mouths were agape.

"I found him." May said, with a hint of pain in her voice. "I found him Coulson."

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**So, what did you think? Who do you want the agent to be? send me a message or send in a review :D**


	6. Chapter 5

**I am so so sorry, I updated so late :( But here is chapter 5, hope you like it. **

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May found the agent they were looking for, and she was actually shocked on who she found down at the prison hole. It was Agent Richards. A specialist like her and Ward, but he was level 8 and more experienced than the latter. She found him unconscious and dangling on a chain, bruised up and blood stains on his shirt. And she knows the injuries could be much worse.

She was about to tell the team when she heard Coulson's story. She was less than happy when he actually gave away so much detail. She tried to understand him, since they just talked about their relationship a few hours ago.

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Fitzsimmons and Skye still had their mouths agape.

"Oh my God. I won." Skye said in awe.

"SKYE!" Fitzsimmons looked at her.

"I know, I am so sorry, but I actually won. So it is true." But then Skye noticed they lost May's tracker. And it seems Ward picked up on it too.

"We lost May!" Ward said in a panic.

"What are you talking about Ward?" Coulson asked worriedly over the comm.

"Sir, we lost her signal."

"No, wait. May said that it might be because the prison is too far down." Fitz said calmly.

"Fitz is right sir, she might be just underground or something is blocking the signal." Simmons agreed."

"Alright, but tell me as soon as her signal pops up again." Coulson tried to sound as calm as possible.

"Yes sir." Ward replied more calmly.

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"I found him." She was unsure if they heard her since no one responded.

"I found him Coulson."

That time, she didn't wait for them to respond. She went to the other side of the room and lowered the agent, then she approached him. And cradled his head in her arms.

"Agent Richards." She said firmly. But the agent only groaned.

"Nathan. Come on, I need you to wake up." And she held his face. And the agent suddenly widened his eyes and looked like he was about to get into the state of panic, but May made him look at her.

"Nathan, calm down. Everything's fine." She said in a calm voice.

"Melinda?" He looked at her, and she nodded.

"Am I in heaven? Because I'm pretty sure, I already found an angel." He smiled sweetly at her.

May just rolled her eyes. "After getting kidnapped, beat up and being stuck in this prison hole, you're still in the mood for awful pick-up lines?" May smiled back at him.

"Yes. As long as I get to see that smile, telling stupid and maybe even considerably awful jokes are worth it." He held the side of her face. And was about to say something else, when they heard noises of people coming down.

"We need to get out of here Mel." He said as he was getting up.

"Right, I need to alert Coulson." He widened his eyes at her. Her being in the field, was already a surprise.

"About that Mel..." He wanted to tell her why he didn't tell her about Coulson's survival.

"Save it Nate. We need to get out of here first." She understood why Richards didn't tell her, but it still stung. Because he was her shoulder to cry on when she lost Coulson. And him knowing what really happened, hurt her.

"Right. And there's only one way out of this prison." He looked at her and she knew what it meant.

"Coulson." She tried her comm.

"Damn it, comm. isn't working properly." Just then a guard entered and Richards punched him.

"He'll be fine Mel." He said as he was being head locked by another guy, but got out of it quickly.

"He's a field agent Nate, not a specialist." She said as she attacked the other men entering.

"I know. But he's Phil Coulson. He can take care of himself now. Let's go." May just nodded.

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They were able to sneak out of the prison. Then Agent Richards stopped May.

"Go. I can manage from here. I'll head for your command unit, it should be in the air strip right?" May nodded. "Stay safe, alright." She just nodded and he kissed her forehead. And went another direction.

May fixed herself up, and headed back to the party. And was relieved when she spotted Coulson, and exactly where she left him. He smiled when he spotted her, and she gave him a small smile back.

"Sir! May's signal is back." Simmons said.

"I know, thank you." Coulson still smiling at her.

"Where have you been all my life?" Coulson asked. And she had to roll her eyes. What is it with her and men with cheesy opening lines? She could even hear Skye, Ward and Fitz scoff in the background.

"Exactly where I told you." She kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear.

"We should go Phil." Her voice lost its calmness.

"Alright." He looked at her worriedly and started heading out.

"Leaving so soon?" They turned and found Eric James looking at them intently.

"Oh yes, we apologize. But we really need to get home to the kids." He looked at May intently.

"I didn't know you two had kids." James looked at them accusingly.

"Yes, 4 actually. Jemma and Leo are little scientists. Grant with his sports and our last, Skye. We just can't detach her from those computers she has." May smiled at Coulson then at James.

"I sincerely hope you enjoyed your night. Phil, Melinda. I hope to see you again." He nodded at them.

Thankfully, they got out of the mansion without anybody giving them much attention. Only when they drove away from Lola, did May allow herself to feel relieved.

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Meanwhile back in the bus:

"Mission is a success. Let's wrap it up." Ward said, and headed down the cargo bay. Only to be followed by the three. They found Agent Richards climbing up.

Ward didn't know that he was an agent, so he panicked and attempted to attack him, but was only flipped by the agent.

"Is this how Melinda and Phil trained you? Never even recognize a SHIELD agent." He scoffed then held out a hand for Ward to take.

"You're a SHIELD agent?" Skye asked in awe. Since she has never really seen anyone defeat Ward easily apart from May.

"Yes. I was the one Agent May rescued, Agent Nathan Richards is the name." He smiled at them.

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"Who was the agent?" He asked as they were heading back to The Bus.

"It was Richards." she said quietly.

"Nathan Richards?" He was just as surprised as she was.

"Yeah, he should be heading to the bus. We could get him back to The Hub." she said almost dismissively.

"Alright."

"Are you alright May?" He asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." She didn't look at him for the rest of the ride back.

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**I have plans for my OC :3 But I would very much like to ask you what you want to happen with him. So reviews are always appreciated, and it's what keeps this fic going, so send them in. :)**


	7. Chapter 6

**So so sorry again for the late update. I think I would finish this before I update other fics. This chapter is shorter compared to the others, but bear with me. Here is chapter 6. Reviews :)**

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Coulson and May arrived back on the bus. They were greeted by the team and a smiling Agent Richards waiting for them by the stairs. He opened the door for May and didn't bother to mention the glare Coulson sent his way. But what surprised them was that May actually smiled at the agent.

"So, can I get a proper hello now?" Richards asked May

May responded by pulling him into a hug. "I'm glad you're fine Nathan."

"I am too Mel." May pulled away and gave him a small smile.

Coulson cleared his throat, and the other agents in the cargo bay who saw it were either staring worriedly at Coulson or at the couple in front of them. Coulson knew Agent Nathan Richards, they have worked together before, and he knew him and May were friends, but he didn't know they were this close. And he didn't like the thought.

No one noticed Ward holding his hand out to Skye, and her glaring at him, but eventually him his winnings, much to Skye's dismay. Ward smirked at Skye and whispered.

"Told you so."

"Whatever, robot."She just rolled her eyes at him, but smiled a little, because she saw the playful side of Ward. But looking at Coulson, she lost her smile.

Fitzsimmons were just as confused as Coulson about what had happened in front of them. May looked at them, with her usual mask in place.

"You should get checked by Agent Simmons, Richards. We don't know how badly you were injured." May gestured to Simmons, and Jemma just waved her hand.

"I appreciate that. I should thank all of you. I didn't think help would come, but I'm glad you guys did." Richards smiled at them.

"Of course, Agent Richards. Please follow Agent Simmons in the lab." Coulson said, trying to get back to his regular attitude.

Richards smiled at them, and followed Simmons and Fitz in the lab. When they went in, May went up to her bunk, and was starting to change back to her uniform, when she heard a soft knock on her door. May didn't bother responding because the door slid open, revealing a slightly confused Coulson, as she was still putting on her top.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have barged in." Coulson said as he looked away.

"Nothing you haven't seen before Coulson. Why are you here?" May said as she was putting on her vest, and Coulson slid the door closed.

"We should head back to The Hub to drop off Agent Richards for his debrief with Commander Hill."

"Is that all?" May turned around and looked at him.

Coulson looked down, and seemed to hesitate, but still said, "No." He looked at her.

"Since when did you and Richards develop a close relationship?" Coulson said and he tried to keep his voice calm.

"It's not a relationship Phil, me and Nathan just became close friends, when I thought you died." May said nonchalantly. She took off the tracking bracelet Fitzsimmons gave her. Along with the wedding ring. She faced Coulson and gave it to him, with only a small trace of emotion on her face. Coulson looked down on the wedding ring.

"We can talk about this later Phil." May looked at him and kissed his cheek, and just held the side of his face for a while.

"You know that I am so sorry." Coulson held the hand she put on the side of his face.

"I know, but I have a plane to fly." May said and exited her room and headed for the cockpit. Leaving Coulson with his thoughts, looking down at her ring.

* * *

After he got checked out by Simmons and supervised by Agent Fitz, he smiled to himself, remembering the two scientists down at the lab. Fitz might have glared at him when Simmons was wrapping up his chest. But he did not want to mention it, those two would probably come to their senses soon enough.

'Ahh, young love. Still so fascinating to witness.'

He went straight to the cockpit. Richards knew she was the one flying the plane, because he knew that even Coulson can't convince her to come back to the field if it were a combat op. He didn't knock, and just sat on the co-pilot's seat. May didn't pay attention to him, probably lost in her own thoughts.

"I just wanted to apologize Mel. I should have told you. I could've just ignored protocol and told you something." He glanced at her.

"You followed protocol, I can't fault you for that. I wanted to thank you actually, for being there all those months. I'll always be grateful, so don't apologize. I would've done the same." It was her turn to look at him.

"You should forgive him, you know." He leaned back on the chair.

"Working on it, we both are. But I think I've reached my limit today, for stressful situations with Coulson." She was feeling a bit exhausted. Not physically, but emotionally.

"Well, there really is only one solution to stress in these kinds of missions." Richards looked at her knowingly as he was getting up.

"I'll be there in 5." She gave him a small smile as she put the plane in auto-pilot.

* * *

**So what did you guys think? Reviews are always encouraged ;)**


	8. Chapter 7

**I updated early today, because I don't know if I would be able to, this week or the next one, because I have midterms coming up. I hope you like this part :) I still don't own them, except the OC.**

* * *

"Did you enjoy patching up Agent Richards, Simmons?" Skye asked, as she sat down on the couch and was fiddling with her laptop in the lounge with Ward and Fitzsimmons. Simmons blushed furiously, when she heard the question.

"Ho…How can you ask something like that Skye? Do you think I take pleasure in seeing the torture those people inflicted on Agent Richards?" Simmons' pitch heightened when she asked Skye.

Skye smirked at her. "Of course not, but you staring at his chest, instead of his injuries gave it away." Even Ward had to smile at the comment, but Fitz glared at her.

"I was only wrapping him up!" Simmons said.

"Of course you were Jemma." Skye just smiled at Simmons. While Simmons huffed in annoyance.

"No one can blame you Simmons, Agent Richards' is pretty well-built, especially for a guy that age." Skye commented.

"You're right about that Skye. I mean, if he could take down Ward, he must be really good." Fitz said. Ward just glared at him. Fitz just looked down at his sandwich and took a quick bite.

"I hate to be the one to mention this, but did you all notice the relationship between May and Agent Richards?" Simmons asked nervously.

"I think everybody did Simmons." Ward smirked at Skye, and she just rolled her eyes, remembering that he was 20 dollars richer because of it.

"You are so, going to pay for that Ward." Skye said to him.

"Hey, it was a bet. I won, fair and square. Coulson and May don't have that type of relationship. And if you ask me, May actually has her eye on Agent Richards." Ward drank his beer.

"Dream on, Ward. There just friends." Skye said in annoyance.

"So, Coulson's not her friend? We've been together in this bus for months, and she has never had physical contact with Coulson, unless it's for missions. Then Agent Richards' shows up and she gets like that. I say she's with Richards." Ward said confidently.

"Fitzsimmons…" Skye said in a bit of childishness in her tone. But they just held their hands up, wanting nothing to do with the discussion about May's personal life. So Skye just looked at Ward with steely determination in her eyes.

"Want to bet?" Skye looked at him threateningly.

"Fine. Let's raise the stakes, 50 bucks. I say Richards and May are the ones in a relationship." Ward looked at her smugly. Skye just nodded.

"Have my money ready Ward." Skye shut her laptop and left the lounge. While Ward, retreated to his bunk.

"Dear God, not again." Simmons said worriedly.

"These bets get more serious every time it happens. I'm going to go hide the chocolate pudding, I don't need another bloody incident like that again." Fitz said as he was standing up.

"I am with you on that Fitz." Simmons followed him to the kitchen.

* * *

Sweat covered Richards' and May's bodies. No one said a word, both analyzing what to do next. Richards wiped his forehead and was starting to regret asking May to do this, his injuries were getting the better of him.

Sparring had always been a good way to get rid of the stress or extra energy. Richards was happy enough to be able to spar with May again. But he was still surprised that she was still very good in hand-to-hand combat. And he had to say, she could really kick his ass if she wanted to bad enough. So he just smirked at her, and threw a punch her way, which she dodged but Richards predicted that and punched her using his other arm. May was still too skilled, she locked his arm and flipped him.

She just smiled down at him. And he just laid down on the mats for a little while. But then he slid his leg, which made her fall down next to him. And they both just laughed. A genuine one.

"Thank you." May said as she turned to him.

"Don't mention it." He began standing up, and he held out his arm for May to take.

"Do you want to go get a drink?" May asked.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I think I'm going to hit the hay, being tortured can be exhausting." Richards smiled at her. May just rolled her eyes.

"But you know, you could ask somebody else." He said, knowing fully well she would understand what he meant, and May just sighed, but turned to him and nodded.

"Can't I just ignore him for a while longer?" She said with a tone of annoyance, because she can't handle facing Phil again.

"We both know, that's not what you mean. You love him Mel. You always have, ever since the academy." He smiled knowingly.

"I know that. I just don't think I can handle losing him again. I keep thinking that maybe when the next time comes, he won't be saved." She was still having a hard time believing he was alive. And talking about their relationship was something May thought she would never have to do again.

"You remember our talks before?" He said as he was taking the bandages of his hands. She nodded.

"You said, and I quote. 'I just want to see him again. Just to be able to tell him I love him at least one more time.' He's here Mel. Coulson's like 20-30 feet away from you." He walked towards her.

"I was fueled by grief when I said those words. Now I just feel…I don't know what I feel anymore. I want everything to just be okay between us, just…" She looked down at her feet. She was never really good at talking about her feelings.

"Maybe, you should tell him that." Richards smiled at her.

"I can try." May whispered.

"That's all anyone can ask. Go get him." Richards said and May started her way up the stairs, walking towards Coulson's office.

* * *

**Yeah, I totally knew some of you guys would think May and Richards slept together, all I can say is, I thought about it. It would make things more interesting for me, but I decided against it last minute hahahaha :) Hope you liked this chap. Next one will be all about Philinda/Mayson/Coulvary (somebody make up their mind as to what the official ship name is hahaha)**

**and I want/need suggestions for what you guys want to happen. :D**

**REVIEWS :))) PLEEEAAAASSEE.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Midterms got postponed, so I get to update this week :) Hope you like this chap. This is longer than the other ones, so enjoy.**

**I don't own them, just Richards ;)**

* * *

May entered Coulson's office, knowing fully well he would be doing paperwork from their earlier mission. And she just leaned on the wall for a while, observing him. She smiled when he noticed she was there, but immediately tried to hide it.

"May, what can I do for you?" He looked at her nervously. Coulson can see that she had just come back from sparring, and what she had to say must be important if she went straight to him.

"I told you, we were going to talk later. I guess this is later." May said as she approached the couch.

Coulson was surprised when she said it. He thought he would be the one to make the first move, if he ever wanted to talk about the two of them. She sat down on the couch, and placed a bottle of scotch and two glasses on the table, and poured them both a double. Coulson stood up and made his way to the couch, and sat next to her. And they sat in silence for a couple of minutes, before May spoke again.

"What happened to you during the mission Coulson?" May asked as she sipped her drink.

"What do you mean?" He was surprised with her question.

"You told a criminal our story. The real one. When we danced, you refused to look at me, then when we get here…you just seem different. And if this is the effect of us trying to fix, whatever we are, then maybe we shouldn't do it at all." May said sadly.

"No. Please don't say that. That's not why I was like that." Coulson shook his head as he looked at her.

* * *

"Oh hey, Agent Richards." Skye was sitting in the kitchen, with her tablet in hand.

"Skye, right?" Richards smiled at her as he was mixing his coffee.

"Yeah. Hey, can I ask you something?" Skye remembered her bet with Ward.

"Sure." Richards just nodded and sipped his drink.

"Are you and May together?" Skye blurted out, which caused Richards to cough and put his coffee down.

"I'm sorry?" Richards asked Skye, not really sure he heard her right.

"You know, are you and May a couple?" Skye asked a bit more confidently.

"Oh no. God, no." Richards shook his head in amusement, and sat down next to her.

"I mean I care about Melinda, she's one of the very few people I can call a friend. But she's like a sister." He told her.

"Really?" Skye's smile spread from ear to ear. '50 bucks here I come baby.'

"Of course. Where did this come from anyway?" Richards asked curiously.

"We were just pretty shocked, when we saw May. You know, willingly interact with someone." She said shyly.

"She wasn't always like that, you know." Richards looked down on his drink sadly.

"There was a time, when Melinda May actually let people in. It just didn't last very long."

"Coulson already told me about Bahrain." Skye spoke up.

"No. After Bahrain, she was different, yes. But she was actually starting to recover, but after what happened with Coulson, that was when I thought that there really was no going back for her."

"What are you talking about? I know Coulson and May knew each other before, but I thought they were just colleagues." Skye said pretty sure of herself.

"They were more than that, much more." Nathan smiled to himself, but it turned sad immediately.

"What happened?" She asked, concern seems to be taking over.

"May will kill me if I tell you, but you seem to genuinely care about them."

"I do." Skye nodded.

"Okay. We all met at the academy, Operations…"

* * *

"I know I have acted differently, but all throughout that mission, I was doubting…" Coulson did not want to tell her, but the words rolled out.

"Doubting what?" She asked quietly. And Coulson had no choice but to tell her.

"You. Me. I wasn't sure if what I was seeing was real or not anymore. The way you smiled at me, when I held your hand. I was stuck in that moment, I was not sure if you were just doing it for the mission, or to make me feel better about not telling you, or…"

May kissed him.

"Stop." May said when she pulled away, a hand placed on his chest.

"That's turning into a habit." Coulson gave her a small smile.

"It's still the best way to get you to stop rambling." She looked away.

"Okay."

"You're saying that you were doubting me." May said.

"No. Yes…" Coulson, still unsure.

* * *

"I met May when we were on our third year. She met Coulson on the first. They were already pretty close when we became friends. When we graduated from the academy they became partners in missions. They worked well together, sometime later they realized it wasn't just in missions." Richards smiled at the memory.

"Oh, they were together?" Skye's smile was growing again. 'Ward owes me, big time.'

"Yeah, they were. Director Fury was smart enough not to interfere, he knew they could pull of missions even though they had a personal relationship. It was going well, even after Bahrain, Coulson stood by her. May pushed everyone away, including me. But she let Coulson help her eventually, and things were looking up for everybody. We were able to repair our friendship. She was different, she transferred to administration, but the warmth was still there, the smiles weren't so rare. Coulson actually told me that he was going to ask her to marry him."

"What? What happened?" She asked.

"The Battle of New York did. Coulson got stabbed through the heart, and the director reported his death." Richards hated that day, not because of the aliens destroying New York, well, partly. But because of what happened after.

"But Coulson didn't die." Skye said in a whisper.

"No. No, he didn't. But May thought he did, for months. No one told her otherwise, and that devastated her. I tried to be there for her as a friend, but imagine my shock when I found out that Coulson was actually alive, and I couldn't tell the woman he loved because of protocol." He hated himself because of it.

"Then Coulson formed this team, and included her. The day she left for this op. she kissed my cheek and smiled at me. She didn't let me explain why I never told her. That's why when she rescued me, I apologized over and over, but she still acted the same around me, even though I knew before."

Skye had tears in her eyes, amazed how May got through all that. And she had newfound respect for their pilot.

"That's why A.C. looks at her that way. And when he put that ring on her." Everything made sense to Skye now, and she swore that she would try to help Coulson and May get through this.

"But what's going on between them now? We've been together on this bus for months and we haven't even thought about them having a relationship before." Skye wondered.

"Only May can answer that now." Richards stood up. But before walking away he said, "You're a good kid Skye, I can see why Phil picked you." And that just brought a smile to Skye's face. She stood up and walked towards Ward's bunk. She opened the door and said triumphantly,

"You owe me money Ward."

* * *

"I thought you only acted that way towards me because of a mission, and when I saw you interact with Richards…I thought you had feelings for him." Coulson said sadly.

"I didn't and I don't. The mission was a way for me to really express what I felt for you, so I wasn't faking it, not a second of it. And Richards is like a brother, a dear friend. And you and I both know, that I don't have a lot of those." She gave him one of her small smiles, and held his hand.

"I'm sorry." Coulson squeezed her hand.

"You shouldn't be. I'm just glad you're alive, even though you spent months away in some island with a personal masseuse." Her face was nearing his, and he couldn't help but smile.

"Tahiti is a magical place, but this, now is so much better." He was going to kiss her, but then Ward, followed by Skye burst into the room. May moved away from him immediately before Ward or Skye noticed anything.

"What's going on?" Coulson asked seriously, not so amused that he and May were disturbed.

"Sir, Centipede's been spotted." Ward said alarmingly.

* * *

**So, what did you guys think? Send me reviews okay :) It's really what keeps me and this fic. going. **


	10. Chapter 9

**Exams. Endless exams. Yeah, that's pretty much my reason why it took me this long to update. That, and I rewrote this chapter over and over again. Hope you like it :) Characters aren't mine except the OC**

* * *

"What? When?" Coulson tried to sound professional, and hid his frustration from Ward and Skye well enough.

"Just a few hours ago sir, at least 3 Centipede soldiers broke out a former marine from a prison." Ward spoke up.

"Go get Fitzsimmons and head to the Command Centre." Coulson said, slightly alarmed.

"Yes sir." Ward went down, followed by Skye.

* * *

"They were so going to do it." Skye teased Ward quietly.

"Didn't need that in my head Skye." Ward said, and headed for the lab to get Fitzsimmons.

"Lighten up Ward, it was just 70 bucks." Skye smiled at him.

* * *

"We should head down, Coulson." May said as she was standing up, and walked towards the door of Coulson's office. But Coulson held her wrist and pulled her towards him and kissed her, and May's hand automatically went to the side of his face, and the other on his chest. They pulled apart after a few minutes, but still holding each other.

"What was that for?" May asked, with a tone of amusement.

"I just felt the need to do it." Coulson smiled at her, and May just smiled back.

"I love you." Coulson said as he pulled away from the embrace.

"I know." May said as she headed for the Command Centre downstairs.

* * *

"Edison Po. Former marine, expert in tactics. You guys can read the file about why he was sent to the prison, but now, we need to figure out why he was broken out of there. So, dig up what you can about him and the new Centipede soldiers, and see what comes up." Coulson said, and the team nodded at him.

"Also, HQ ordered Agent Richards to aid in our investigation, so he'll be staying with us a while longer. Are we clear?"

A chorus of 'Yes sir's' then everyone went to their own areas to prepare for the mission. Skye headed down to the lab with Fitzsimmons to do research on Po, while Ward went down to the cargo bay to train for a while. May headed for her bunk to change, and Coulson went to his office.

* * *

"I take it things went well with Coulson." Richards said as the both of them headed to the cargo bay, an hour after they landed. The only response he got from May was a 2-second smile, but that was enough for him.

"Thought so. Anyway, why are we in Ohio?"

"Coulson and Ward went to the University of Ohio, Skye discovered the identity of one of the Centipede soldiers, and tracked his sister, Laura Hayward. We were able to track him because of her."

They went down the stairs, just in time for Coulson's debrief.

"Centipede set up a base 8 miles from here. We will infiltrate, do minimal damage so we can get more information. Ward, May, you take the east entrance. I and Richards will take the west. Fitzsimmons, Skye you run back-end." Coulson ordered.

They all nodded, and prepared for the mission. Ward dressed up like someone from a SWAT team. Fitzsimmons and Skye transferred all the necessary equipment in the van. Fitz gave Ward and Coulson a night-night gun. And they left for the warehouse.

* * *

"No sign of anyone here." Ward said over the comm.

"We aren't picking up anything either. Just the 4 of you." Skye said calmly.

"Let's just check the entire warehouse, so we can be sure." Richards replied.

They all walked around the warehouse a little more, when Centipede soldiers appeared on both their sides.

"Sir! We picked up multiple Centipede soldiers in there with you." Simmons almost screamed into everyone's comm.

"We can see that." Coulson replied and shot the soldiers using the night-night gun, but it failed to sedate them, so he and Richards were forced to fight with their bare hands.

Same thing happened on Ward and May's side. They were doing pretty well, but were struggling to keep the momentum up against the soldiers. And the soldiers eventually knocked out Ward.

May continued fighting, using what she could pick up from the ground as weapons. But May saw something in the distance. Richards fighting two Centipede soldiers alone. Coulson couldn't be seen. And she saw the one of the soldiers get the upper hand and snapped Richards' neck. And she lost focus on her own enemy. And got knocked out herself.

"Richards!" Coulson screamed as he saw Agent Richards fall to the ground. Dead. And he could see in the distance the outline of May's body lying unconscious and was being picked up by one of them.

"May!" When he screamed out her name, the girl in the flower dress appeared followed by two more Centipede soldiers, and the one holding May's body.

"What are we going to do?" Simmons asked Fitz and Skye as she watched the scene unfold before them.

"We need to go in there." Skye said.

"Stand down." Coulson said over the comm. They had May, he couldn't let anything happen to her.

"What? No, A.C. we might be able to take them…" Skye replied.

"No! These are my orders. Stand down." He replied, glaring at the woman in front of him.

"Hello, Agent Coulson. I don't believe I've had the pleasure." She smiled at him.

"Who are you?" Coulson asked.

"Raina. The Clairvoyant has told me about you." She replied calmly.

"What do you want?" Coulson asked, trying hard not to let his concern for May show.

"We are going to make a little exchange with you." Raina said, and gestured towards May's unconscious body.

"We will leave her, and your other agent unharmed in exchange for something else."

"What would that be?" He shouldn't be negotiating, he should be thinking about a way to escape with both his life and May's intact. But he couldn't.

"You. The Clairvoyant is interested in you." Raina said calmly.

"You will leave them unharmed?"

"Yes." She replied with a smile on her face.

"Alright. I'll go, just leave her."

"Wise choice Agent Coulson." Raina gestured for the guard to put May down, and take Coulson. He was injected with a serum which caused him to sleep. And he was dragged to a helicopter that had just arrived outside the warehouse.

"We need to get them out of there." Skye said anxiously.

"Let's go." Fitz started the van and rammed the warehouse.

"Stop here Fitz!" Simmons screamed at him.

Skye and Fitz ran towards Ward's unconscious body, while Simmons checked on May and Richards. But Fitz noticed something peculiar, there were wires along the beams of the building and then he saw it. Bomb.

"We have to go!" Fitz said as he was dragging Ward's body to the van.

"Simmons, Skye we have to go! Go get May!" Fitz yelled.

"Fitz! Help me with Agent Richards." Simmons said frantically.

"Alright." Fitz ran to her side and carried the agent to the van.

"Skye! Start the van, this place is going to explode!" Fitz said.

Skye frantically hit the gears trying to focus on the task at hand. When Fitzsimmons made it the van, the made a run for it, getting away just in time before the warehouse exploded.

* * *

"Simmons, I can't feel a pulse." Fitz said alarmingly.

"I know." Simmons said sadly. She kneeled down Agent Richards' body and shut his eyelids.

May started to stir and bolted upright, Simmons had to calm her down.

"May, you're fine, we're in the van." Simmons said, trying to control the tone of her voice and fighting the tears that were around her eyes.

"Where's Coulson?" May scanned the van for him.

"He was taken, by Centipede. He exchanged himself for you and Ward." Fitz said sadly.

"Richards?" May realized that he wasn't breathing and pushed her way through Fitzsimmons to get to his body. She kneeled beside him, putting her hand on his chest, wanting to feel a heart beating there. But she got nothing. She couldn't stop the tears from falling, and she cried on his chest, clutching to his cold hand.

"No. You can't die. You can't die." May said these words over and over.

Fitzsimmons and Skye watched this unfold in front of them. Agent May was the strongest person they knew, and seeing her break down destroyed them, Fitzsimmons just kneeled down beside her. And Skye let the tears fall.

"I am going to get you back Coulson." May said furiously.

* * *

**End of Chapter 9 :) Please send reviews, I'll update this weekend for sure. **


	11. Chapter 10

**Made this extra long (well its extra long for me anyway) because of the long time it took to just post this. Hope you like it guys. I still don't own the characters except the OC, whom I killed. :'(**

* * *

Ward woke up in the middle of the ride back, and Fitzsimmons had to calm him down too, and explained the situation to him. But he just looked over their shoulder, where May was positioned. The agent had her back to them, had her hand on the side of Agent Richards face and she still had tears in her eyes. They finally arrived back at the bus, but no one got out of the van just yet, all of them seemed to be waiting for something.

"Get the plane ready Ward." May said after a few minutes of silence. And Ward just nodded and headed to the cockpit.

"Fitzsimmons, can you help me with him, please?" May's voice breaking a little. They both went to May's side and helped her carry the dead agent and set him down in the lab.

"Where are we going to go May?" Skye asked the agent.

"The nearest SHIELD base. It's in New York. We'll be able to drop his body off, let him have a proper burial, and Hill should at least have one last look at him, she deserves that much."

"Commander Hill? Why would she?" Fitz asked, and Simmons just nudged him.

"They're together aren't they?" Skye asked.

"Yes. They were. I'm reporting to HQ and tell them our current situation so they can send in help. Until then, you should all get some rest." May headed out of the lab and up to Coulson's office where she can talk to Hill without the audience.

* * *

"Commander Hill." May said, trying to keep her voice from breaking.

"Agent May, Where's Coulson?" Hill asked as May wasn't the one who usually briefs her on their missions. But Hill could see there was something off with May.

"May? May, where's Richards?" Hill asked suddenly, and she saw the look in May's eyes. Sadness. Regret. Pain. And loss.

"No..." Hill had tears forming in her eyes, looked away from the monitor.

"I'm sorry Maria." May looked down as well.

* * *

"Where could they have taken Coulson?" Skye asked Fitzsimmons.

"The question is why. Why would they take him?" Ward said, feeling the effects of the staff on him again, because Coulson sacrificed himself for him and May. They all noticed May coming back down to the lab, trying very hard not to look at the body bag in the middle of the room, still open.

"I just got off comm. with Commander Hill. She'll be expecting us 0700 tomorrow. She also assigned Agent Hand on the plane to help in finding Coulson." May said in the professional tone she could muster.

"May, are you alright?" Skye asked, her worry was too much. May just walked away from them, as if she didn't hear the question. But obviously, she was far from alright. Skye was going to follow her, but Ward put a hand on her shoulder.

"Leave her. She needs time." Ward told her sadly.

"May is right, we should all try to get some rest. We're going to need our strength tomorrow." Ward stated, taking it upon himself to lead their team for the time being.

* * *

Coulson woke up, he could feel his clothes sticking to his skin, the heat was beginning to get to him. He hasn't had the chance to figure out where he was, but if his guess was right he was somewhere in the desert. And then he noticed a man in the shadows slowly approaching him.

"Hello Agent Coulson. Good to see that you made the right choice." Po said smugly. Edison Po.

"What do you want from me?" Coulson sat up, only to be hindered by chains on his hands and feet.

"Simple really, we want you to tell us about the day after you died. After that, we can let you go." He said simply.

"I was stabbed, I was fixed. I woke up in Tahiti. Can I go now?" Coulson said, in his usual tone.

"Don't worry Agent Coulson, we have a certain device to help you remember. We know you are lying, you simply don't remember what they did to you." Po said as he presented a machine that looked like a MRI. And Coulson was placed there by the Centipede soldiers.

"Look at it this way, if you coöperate you get back to the little team of agents you care so much about. If you don't, well you'll know what happens." Po gestured to one of the men and Coulson instantly felt the pain of an electric shock going through his body.

"Aaaaaaah!"

* * *

"Where is he?" Commander Hill asked as soon as they arrived back at base. May just gestured to the direction of the lab. Fitzsimmons exited and left their leader to mourn. May walked towards Hill.

"So this is what it feels like." Hill said, as she fixed Richards' hair, letting the tears fall.

"How did this happen?" Hill asked, not with spite, just with sorrow. She didn't blame Coulson's team.

"We were outnumbered, one of the soldiers took him out. I'm sorry Maria." May replied silently.

"I'm sorry too. I put you through this too before. Never knowing how much pain it would cause you. And getting to see him again is much more than what I was able to do for you before." May just put her hand on Hill's shoulder, but she was surprised when Hill turned and hugged her. Hill cried on her shoulders. After a few minutes, Hill let her go. And she put her usual mask on.

"Go get him back May. I'll send in Agent Hand right away." Hill said as she gestured for the men to carry Richards' body back to base.

* * *

"Agent May." Agent Victoria Hand approached the once again stoic agent.

"Agent Hand." May nodded to her.

"From the information we have gathered back at the Hub, it would tell us that to find Agent Coulson, we need to find Vanchat. He sells technology, extra-terrestrial tech, and it looks like Centipede got their fair share." Hand started briefing May immediately, even of they were still in the middle of the cargo bay.

"Maybe I can trace his financials." Skye said as she heard the information Agent Hand gave.

But Hand glared at her, not understanding how a girl like her could track such a well-protected man like Vanchat. But she had to trust the girl, they were getting nowhere in terms of trying to hack into Vanchat's account.

"SHIELD technical analysts have already traced a location and he was already intercepted by another team. But I can let her check his financials, she is assigned as a consultant after all." Hand said, which surprised Skye.

Skye only nodded, and May just gestured for Hand to head up to the Command Center.

* * *

"My team will find me." Coulson said as another wave of electricity went through his body, which was much more intense than the ones before.

"We are looking forward to it Agent Coulson, I would very much like to meet your love, Agent May." Po smirked and presented a silver chain, dangling on it was the ring. The ring he had planned on giving to May, he had carried it in his jacket pocket ever since he told May about it, but obviously he can't let them know that.

"What are you talking about? Agent May is just the pilot." Coulson said, not wanting to put May in any situation where she could be used against him or vice versa.

"Mr. Po, a call." Their conversation was put to a halt when the girl in a flower dress, Raina she calls herself, entered, and handed Po the phone.

"Yes. Raina." Po suddenly handed the phone back, and Raina had a look of shock on her face.

"Of course, I understand." She said, a smile spreading to her face, Coulson did not like it one bit.

Then Raina handed the phone back to Po and he suddenly dropped dead. Raina gestured for his body to be taken away. And Coulson was left with her.

"Torture was never that effective." Raina said nonchalantly, and she turned to him with a small smile on her face.

"Hmm, no use lying to us Agent Coulson, The Clairvoyant knows of your life. And Agent Melinda May is, or was a big part of that." She was now the one who picked up the ring that was dropped by Po.

"We are colleagues nothing more." His pitch became a bit higher than usual.

"Who are you trying to convince? Hmm, you were going to ask her to marry you, remember? Don't you want that anymore? A chance at a normal life, at love? And she did love you Agent Coulson. Don't you miss waking up next to her, stealing kisses when she's still asleep, her crawling up beside you when you get back from missions as she tries to comfort you? And the smiles that she used to give, only you?" Raina said, with a tone of pity lacing her voice. She wanted to make him feel sorry for himself, and for his woman.

"How could you know that?" Coulson felt the tears forming around his eyes, as he remembers his time with Melinda, his life with her still in it.

"SHIELD took that away from you, both of you. They already destroyed her once, because of a failed mission, and then shattered her heart with a lie. And then there's you, trying to convince yourself that Agent May, the woman you love will forgive you, or even love you again." Raina could see that she was getting to him, she was succeeding.

"Melinda still loves me." Coulson said in a whisper.

"Are you sure? When she joined your team she still avoided you. And when you told her you still loved her, do you really think she still feels the same? Or was she just trying to help you through your recovery, out of pity and out of the love she used to have for you? She didn't want to go back to the field Agent Coulson. She was getting better with her desk job, she was starting to forget the pain your death caused her. She was away from the field, but you pulled her back, just because you wanted to be with her again." Raina was making him feel guilt and sorrow. Slowly but surely, making him see her logic.

"Don't you think you have sacrificed too much for this job, for a cause that you might not even believe in anymore."

"Sacrifices are part of the job, we both know that." His voice breaking, her words having the desired effect on him.

"But were you really willing to give up the only person you ever truly loved? SHIELD lied to the both of you, she cried for days, while SHIELD hid you from her. Don't you think it's time for the lies to end? Don't you think you deserve to know what happened?" Raina handed him the chain where the ring still dangled, and he stared at it. The pain was overwhelming.

"I think it's time to stop hurting yourself, and Melinda." Raina is successful. Coulson was convinced. He can't take any more lies. He was going to let her use the machine on him.

* * *

"I can't do anything with this thing on my wrist!" Skye exclaimed, the bracelet was still blocking her access to the servers she needed to use.

"All I need is one lead, then maybe we can get Coulson, but I can't do that with this." Skye said as she was typing with one hand.

"We can't take it off, we've tried." Fitz said, still trying to figure out other ways to get it off.

"Only Coulson can take it off, I'm sorry Skye." Simmons said sorrowfully.

"Well I can't type..." Skye stopped mid-sentence.

"What is it?" Ward asked.

"I can't access the servers, but you guys can. You don't have an internet nanny attached to you." Skye said, happy with her revelation.

"Alright, let's try this." Ward said and he stood next to Skye and positioned his fingers on the keyboard.

"Okay, I'm going to need you to hack into the main server. You just need to input the kill code I designed, it should be in the page..." Skye stopped because Ward just stood there.

"Ward..."

"How do I input a kill code?" Ward looked at her worriedly.

"Fitz!"Skye yelled.

"Alright, I'm coming. What is so hard about inputting a few codes?" Fitz dropped the night-night gun and walked towards Ward and Skye mumbling. After a few minutes of typing and a couple more instruction from Skye, they were in business.

"Oh, Agent Hand is giving a briefing." Simmons said as she noticed the other agents that were assigned to help them, Agent Hand and Agent May in the command center. Ward rolled his eyes and headed up.

"...We were able to trace the location of one of Centipede's early bases across the world, and we will send in B and C-teams to intercept. Agent May and I will stay and oversee the op." Hand ordered.

"What about Agent Coulson?" Ward asked, looking at May worriedly then at Hand.

"Hopefully we'll find him in one of the bases. Dismissed." Hand said, glaring at Ward.

"I got it! I got it!" Skye ran to the command center with Fitzsimmons trailing.

"I found him May!" Skye walked towards May and gave her the paper which contained Coulson's supposed whereabouts. And May immediately ran to the cockpit.

"That is not the plan. We are supposed to destroy the Centipede bases, not rescue a single agent. Nobody is that important." Hand stated furiously.

"Coulson is ma'am. And I and Agent May are taking our team and getting Coulson back." Ward said confidently, and walked down the cargo bay.

* * *

"Relax, let the machine work." Coulson breathed deeply, one of his hands gripping the ring tightly.

"Mel..." Coulson could see it. Tahiti. Then everything changed. He was in a lab, with a machine doing something to his brain. He could see himself. He was begging to die.

"Please let me die. Please let me die. Please..."

* * *

The team arrived in the middle of the desert with abandoned houses scattered everywhere. No sign of life.

"Are we in the right place?" Fitz asked Skye.

"This has to be it. It was the place in the list of purchases that would make sense." Skye said worriedly.

"We should start searching the houses..." Simmons started suggesting but then she saw Centipede soldiers approach them. Ward and May noticed them too. And they both knew what they had to do.

"Start searching, we'll handle them." May said and ran towards two soldiers. And knocked them out immediately, letting the rage take over a bit and fight the soldiers for her, for Coulson and for Richards.

* * *

The memory shifts as he was inside a body bag, that was being slowly opened. He could hear Commander Hill and Director Fury's voices.

"She should at least get to see him, sir."

"I can't do that."

"She deserves to see him one last time Nick."

"I know that Maria, but it doesn't have to be the last time."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying, maybe we could bring him back." Then the scene fades again and he is brought back to the lab. He is hearing Dr. Streiten's voice, over his own pleads for death.

"Listen to him! Who authorized this?"

"Director Fury himself." An unknown woman said.

"Please let me die, please. Please let me die..."

* * *

"Aaaah! Aaaaah!" Coulson screamed from the top of his lungs, wanting for the memory to go away.

May had just finished fighting off the soldiers and it has taken a toll on her. But then she heard his screams.

"Coulson." She ran towards the house the scream was coming from, and saw Skye getting there first.

"Coulson!" Skye burst into the room followed by May.

"It's for his own good." Raina stepped between them and Coulson and May just knocked her out.

"Please let me die, please. Please let me die." Coulson was still connected to the device, and May started pulling the wires.

"Coulson! Coulson." Skye stood by his side and held his hands, tears falling from her eyes. While May just held the side of his face, trying to get him back.

"Phil..." She said in a whisper.

"Melinda?" He recognized the voice immediately, and his hand searched for hers, his eyes still closed. Skye felt relieved and stepped away from them.

"I'm here Phil, I'm right here." Melinda said with the sound of relief in her voice, and Coulson opened his eyes.

"Hi..." Melinda said.

"Hi." Coulson said, and smiled at her.

"I love you, I am so sorry." Coulson said suddenly.

"No, don't apologize, I love you too." May said quietly, she was just happy he was safe. Then she felt something was in his hand. She opened his palm and saw the ring on the silver chain.

"You had this with you?"

"Of course, I have carried it since I told you about it." Coulson said and started sitting up, being assisted by May.

"Hey AC." Skye said happily.

"Skye.." Coulson said.

They all failed to notice Raina gaining consciousness, reaching behind her and getting a gun. She knew who her target was, and all its going to take, is one shot.

* * *

**So, yeah. Reviews please :) **


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